For Good
by only here in your arms
Summary: Needing to get away for the summer, from the stresses of his life, Eli Goldsworthy checks in "The Moonlight", an inn in Wasaga Beach. With only a girl named Clare Edwards running the inn, Eli begins to find a new meaning to the term "summer romance".
1. And So Begins Summer

**Who can say if I've been changed for the better?****  
><strong>**But because I knew you**

**Because I knew you****  
><strong>

**I have been changed for good**

**For Good – Wicked**

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><p><strong>Chapter One – And So Begins Summer<strong>**  
><strong>

Eli was only seventeen. But he had a car that he paid for himself and a license so to him that meant that he could do whatever the hell he wanted for the summer and what he wanted to do was go away. He left Bullfrog and Cece a note saying that he was going to stay at this beach inn he found online in Wasaga Beach and that he loves and will miss them. He also promised to come back to lessen Cece's concern. Not that she wasn't already concerned, Eli had given her so much to worry about the past year.

In Morty, his beloved hearse, Eli had the windows down, his arm laying on the window and his heavy metal music blasting. He was driving on a back road and he hadn't passed anyone in the last thirty minutes. His suitcase and backpack were filled with clothes and the things he needed to maintain his hygiene and he had to admit, he was happy to be getting out of Toronto and the Degrassi area. His life was a downhill ever since the previous summer and to be leaving that behind made him happy. Even for just a summer, it was okay. He needed to take a breather and get away from the judgment, the looks, the pity, and most of all, the regret and sadness.

He had a reservation made at the inn called "The Moonlight" in Wasaga. He couldn't help but laugh at the name. Who the hell would call an inn "The Moonlight"? But it was cheap and open and the only one he could afford near a beach so that was that.

Eli arrived at the inn and saw that there was only one other car there; a dark blue pick-up truck. He found it curious because he had never seen a truck that color before. When he took a good look at it he realized that it wasn't a professional paint job but it was damn good for someone who did it themselves. Grabbing his suitcases he went into the old looking inn. It was definitely old fashioned looking in there and he kind of liked the authentic and homey feeling he got when he walked in. He walked up to the reception desk and rang the bell.

When no one came within a minute, Eli rang the bell again. "Hello? Hello?"

Footsteps neared and Eli breathed a sigh of relief. He was expecting an adult to check him in but instead a teenaged looking girl, probably around his own age, came walking in. She gave him a weak smile and opened what looked like a log book.

"Are you Elijah Goldsworthy?" she asked him without looking up.

"Yes, but I prefer Eli."

"Eli it is then. And…you're staying the entire summer…wow."

"What?"

She finally looked up at him and Eli was immediately captured by her sea blue eyes. They were piercing and captivating and lovely. Eli had to discreetly pinch himself to gain his composure. "I've never heard of someone staying at inn for an entire summer. And you seem kind of young."

"Well you seem pretty young too," Eli retorted. "I needed to get away."

"Well so did I," she sighed. "You're in Room 3. By the way, you're lucky that I'm not allowed to take that room because if I was, I'd be the one in it, not you. It has the best bathroom."

Eli smirked and took the key the girl held out. "Lucky me."

The girl went around the desk and went to grab Eli's suitcase but he picked it up before she could get it. "I was going to—" the girl began but Eli cut her off. "It's only two bags, I think I can handle it," he told her.

The girl nodded and stepped aside. "Your room is up the stairs, second door to your right."

"Thank you." Eli went upstairs and found his room. It smelled clean and crisp and the walls were a dark green color. It was a little more dreary that he was expecting from the classic looking inn and even more modern that he thought. There was a stereo system and a desktop computer. Sweet. He could keep in contact with Adam since Eli vowed to keep his phone off all summer. Eli walked into the bathroom that the girl mentioned was the best and he was pretty blown away. It was bigger than his own bathroom and had a gigantic Jacuzzi style bath as well as a roomy shower. There were two sinks as well and Eli found that a waste of money. Who needs two sinks?

Once he put his things into the dresser and put his things into the bathroom, Eli logged onto the computer and checked Facebook. While everyone was talking about being bored, going to the pool or The Dot, Eli was in Wasaga and no one knew. He saw that some people were actually wondering where he was. By some people he meant Adam. He didn't tell anyone but his parents where he was going but Eli started to type a message to Adam.

_Don't worry about me. I'm safe. I just needed to get away. Message me whenever you want. Try not to miss me._

Once he was done he logged off and decided to take a nap. Although the drive wasn't that long he was still exhausted. So with drifting eyes he laid down on the comfortable large bed and went to sleep.

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><p><strong>Yes, it's a new story. No, I will not be neglecting my others. I wanted to write a summer love story and here it is. I wrote this in an hour so I apologize for mistakes but I don't always go back to read over my chapters.<strong>

**This is inspired by Nights in Rodanthe but I won't be following the plot exactly, I'm making this my own.**

**If you like it please review because I'm not sure if I'll keep this going if no one likes it. So yeah, please please please review! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Reality Check

**Wrote this while watching the MMVA's. I have to say, that was a magical night for Degrassi fans on Twitter and Tumblr and I'm sure Munro had a fantastic night as well, presenting, getting compliments and laughs from Lady Gaga herself. If there's a lot of mistakes, it's because I was distracted by the thrill and awesomeness of watching the pre-show of the MMVA's and the new promo!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two – Reality Checks<strong>

Eli was woken up by the smell of a homemade meal. At first he was a little confused as to where he was. Once he got up and rubbed his eyes he remembered that he was at "The Moonlight", in the best room of the place, with one other person. He also noticed that it was beginning to get dark outside. Going through the balcony door that was in his room, Eli stepped onto the second floor balcony and looked at his seaside view. He really had the most beautiful view he could imagine. The sun was just setting and the sky became a mixture of orange, purple, blue, and pink with the sea sparkling. He must've been standing there for a little while as he hadn't noticed that the girl who checked him into the inn was walking back from somewhere else. The girl was wiping her hands on her shorts and Eli looked over to where she had come from. He saw a large dumpster and figured she was throwing trash out. He looked back at her to see that she was cleaning off the outside furniture from sand. Her eyes went to his and he immediately looked away.

"Hey!"

Eli looked back to the girl. He was admiring the unique color, length, and style of her hair; auburn, short, and naturally curly. The originality of this girl was something he hadn't seen from anyone before. It was really refreshing to him to see a natural beauty. Everyone in the area he lived wore tons of makeup, spent hours on their hair- either getting a different style or dyeing it- and had clothes that left little to the imagination. This girl, whose name he still didn't know, was a great reality check.

"I figure that you're probably hungry," she called up to him. Eli found himself shaking his head and turning his attention back to what she was saying. "I have dinner cooking in the kitchen so when you want to eat just come downstairs."

"Okay, thank you," Eli replied. The girl smiled at him and walked back into the house. Eli went back into his room and decided to take a shower and change his clothes before eating dinner. Although it didn't seem that he needed to clean up for dinner, since he was the only person there, he still wanted to look nice for some reason. Not to impress the girl but he still felt the dirt and air of his town that he wanted to escape.

After a shower and a change of clothes, Eli walked downstairs and into the dining room of the inn. It was very small but was entirely too large for one tenant. A seating area was prepared by the large window overlooking the sea, much like the one he had in his room, and he sat down there and waited. Clanking of pots and plates was heard in the kitchen and Eli had that comforting feeling in his stomach. Suddenly he was thrown back to his childhood when he would wait for dinner prepared by his mother.

That thought consumed him that he didn't even realize that the girl was walking in with a full plate of food. He smiled at her slightly and looked down at his plate. Steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, an assortment of vegetables, and she then laid down a glass beside it. "Did you want a soda or something?" she asked him.

"I'll take whatever there is," Eli replied sheepishly. He didn't know what to say. He felt a bit awkward and he didn't know why.

"Is Coke okay?"

Eli nodded and watched her walk away. His eyes wandered to her butt and he immediately felt like a pervert. But he was a guy and lingering eyes were pretty much their thing. He was going to start eating until the girl walked back in again with a glass bottle of Coke. When she placed it on the table he grabbed it and grinned.

"Wow, I can't even remember the last time I had Coke in a glass bottle," he breathed, memories flooding back into his brain. "It's always in a plastic liter or a can but…never this glass bottle. I didn't even know they sold it anymore."

Eli looked back up and saw her watching him. She had a small smile on his face and was twiddling her thumbs. "Good thing they're a nice supply of them in the fridge," she replied lightly. Eli found himself smiling more so and he set back the drink.

"Enjoy your meal," she said bluntly and walked out of the dining room.

He didn't know why and he wasn't sure why but Eli had a feeling in his stomach. He didn't want to eat alone and even more, he didn't like the fact that this girl was waiting on him, making and serving his food, while she didn't seem to be getting her own food or eating. Soon Eli grabbed his plate and drink, walked into the kitchen, and sighed in relief when he saw a small island in the middle of the kitchen with bar stools beside it. He sat down, set his plate and drink on the island, and began to eat, all the while receiving a look from the girl who was washing dishes.

"Is...is the dining room not to your liking…or something?" the girl said awkwardly. Eli looked up after a bite and noticed the concerned look on her face. She had turned off the sink and was taking off the gloves she was wearing. Then Eli noticed a ring on her left ring finger but she was moving her hands and he didn't get a clear look.

"I…" Eli began. He took a deep breath and looked into the blue eyes of the still nameless girl. "I didn't really feel like eating alone."

The girl didn't move from the sink and it made Eli feel even more uncomfortable. Did she really not want to eat or did she not want to be around him? Did he give off a 'get away from me' vibe? He didn't want to. As much as he wanted to get away for the summer, he didn't want to be entirely alone.

"I guess I can eat with you?" she said questioningly. Eli nodded his head and she began to get a plate of her own. Eli continued to eat the food she prepared for him and if he didn't know that she had cooked for him, he would think that this was from some fancy restaurant. Or by his own mother. It tasted like heaven.

The girl soon sat down in the other chair and began eating as well. Eli noticed that she didn't have a lot of food on her plate and it made him look to her body. She was tiny in stature and skinny and bony. She didn't look starving or anything, she looked rather healthy, but he did notice the paleness and the bags under her eyes. She looked really tired.

Their ate in silence and although Eli hated silence with people, he preferred this than eating alone. She wasn't talking but to Eli, she was good company.

Eli began thinking of what her name could be. He thought of the girls he knew from his school, trying out their names on the girl he was eating dinner with, but none clicked.

Fiona? Too fancy.

Holly J? Too precise.

Anya? Too out there.

Jenna? Too prissy.

Alli? Too different.

Suddenly he remembered this girl he knew in his childhood. He was positive that it wasn't the same girl since his childhood friend had blonde hair and dark eyes and he still kept in random contact with her on Facebook but her name was Clara. He tried out that name on the blue eyed girl and it didn't fit. But then he thought Clare.

The name Clare was perfect.

She had to be a Clare.

He didn't know any other Clare's but he could see himself calling her Clare.

Clare. The name was beautiful, classic, and fitting for this beautiful girl beside him. Eli didn't feel anything for the girl but he couldn't deny her subtle beauty.

"This is going to sound weird," Eli started. He noticed that she was slightly startled and he smirked at the girl's small jump in her seat. "But…what's your name?"

The girl's eyes widened and put down her fork. "I had no idea that I hadn't introduced myself. Wow, I feel like an idiot now. I know who you are but you don't know who I am. I'm…Clare. Clare Edwards."

So she was a Clare. Eli smiled to himself, feeling victorious that he had guessed her name correctly. Clare. Clare. _Clare._ It just rolled off his tongue and was so perfect for her. "Well then," he smiled. "It's nice to meet you."

A blush crawled over his face when Clare flashed a big smile at him. Although he was caused to blush he finally felt content here. He had a place to stay, someone to talk to, and food. It was now perfect.

"Can I ask you a question? Well, since you asked me one." Clare had asked so innocently that Eli was compelled to nod his head, which he did.

"Where are you from?" she asked.

Eli was expecting her to ask why he was there. He admitted earlier that day that he needed to get away and he figured that she would ask what he needed to get away from. But she didn't.

"Toronto," Eli replied. "It's about two hours from here."

"Really? One of my good friends lives there."

That caught Eli's interest. Maybe he knew Clare's friend. But he figured not, Toronto's a big place. "Who's that?" he asked curiously.

"Oh you wouldn't know her," Clare laughed nervously.

Silence overcame them once again.

"So…" Eli trailed off, looking around at the kitchen. "My turn to ask a question? You didn't actually answer the one about your friend so I'm guessing it's my turn."

"Go ahead," Clare said.

"Do you live here or…?"

"I'm just working here," Clare answered. "For the summer. You know, need extra cash. Hard to find jobs nowadays."

Eli nodded in understanding. "It just seems odd to see a young girl working an inn by herself."

"How do you know I'm young? I could be forty for all you know." Eli's eyes widened but when he saw Clare smirking as she looked down at her food, he smiled.

"But you're not forty are you? This would be a little creepy. I'm seventeen…if you're wondering."

"I actually wasn't," Clare shrugged. Eli rolled his eyes. "I'm sixteen."

Now that, Eli believed. But realizing how young she really was, he asked, "Is this even legal?"

"You're allowed to work at sixteen you know."

Eli saw that this girl would be challenging him with her sarcasm all summer. "Alone? Unsupervised? Alone? With a strange boy?"

Clare looked up and he saw her laughing. "You're not that strange. You seem quite normal."

_Or so you think. That's because you don't know me at all._ "Still. Just to see one person running this place is strange enough but seeing a sixteen year old running it? Unheard of."

"Well I don't think things normally. Like you, I needed to get away and here I am, doing something pretty different but also very enjoyable. I get to get paid for tending to one tenant the entire summer and enjoy a wonderful view of the sun every single night. It's not weird. It's just summer. A time for new experiences."

He believed every word. He found summer to be a time for new experiences too, a time for a different reality instead of the fake one, the hurting one, back home. Eli got up and grabbed another bottle of Coke, handing it to Clare after he opened it, and he held out his own.

"To new experiences," he cheered.

"And new beginnings," Clare added. They clanked their bottles and drank.

This truly began their summer adventure.

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><p><strong>So this new promo…I can't even find words for how I'm feeling. There's hope for Eclare, I can see it. :) Also Connor, Wesley, and Owen made second appearances but that's okay because at least we see them! But I want to see Ziley and Katie Matlin!<strong>

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. PLEASE review. Thanks for the reviews and alerts so far but please tell me what you think of this new story! I'm a sucker for romances during the summer. :P**

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	3. Automobile Talk

**Thanks for the awesome reviews! This chapter required some research but hey, I actually like the topic so it wasn't too terrible. :P**

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><p><strong>Chapter Three – Automobile Talk<strong>

Eli woke up the following morning to a quiet, faint banging sound outside of the inn. He wasn't bothered by it. Actually he was happy that he was woken up since he noticed that it was eleven o'clock and he didn't really want to spend his summer sleeping. Especially since he was in the most beautiful place he could imagine with the beach at his disposal and an entire place to himself and one other person.

After taking another brief shower and wearing comfortable clothes, Eli headed downstairs and found a table full of breakfast items sitting out in the kitchen island where he and Clare had dinner together the night before. He smiled and grabbed what looked like a freshly baked chocolate chip muffin, and headed out back. Walking down a small flight of stairs, Eli stepped onto the sand.

It was a beautiful, warm, bright day and Eli was planning on just walking on the beach for his first official day in Wasaga. But he saw Clare emerge from the nearby shed holding heavy looking shutter closers for the windows. After one final bite of his muffin he made his way over to her and took the large pieces of wood out of her hands. "Here, let me help."

"No, it's okay," Clare began to say but Eli pretty much snatched them out of her small arms.

"What are they for? Expecting a storm?" Eli asked curiously. Clare pointed to a place beside the house on the back porch and Eli walked over there to drop them off.

"Just taking precaution," Clare answered him. She started pulling out more of the closers and left them at her feet for Eli to move over to the growing pile. "How'd you sleep?"

"Better than I have all year," Eli answered honestly with a chuckle. "I could've slept in all day."

"Why didn't you?"

"Why would I waste a perfectly good day?"

"Touché."

Eli decided to help Clare around the inn. Once they were finished putting the closers on the porch, Eli asked if Clare needed any more assistance. After a slight argument between them- Clare not wanting Eli to waste his day- Clare finally relented and said that she needed to go into town and get a new part for her car, the truck which was parked in front when Eli arrived.

So they headed into town in Eli's car with Clare's directions and went to the local auto shop. Eli noticed that Clare happily walked up to the man at the counter who seemed extremely happy to see her. He was pinching her cheeks and Clare was blushing, trying to push the old man away from her face but she was laughing and smiling. Eli found it refreshing to see her so comfortable. He walked up to the counter as well and the man immediately eyed him.

"This your boyfriend?" the man asked. Eli read the nametag attached to his collared shirt. _Harvey_.

"No, he's the only one staying at the inn," Clare quickly said. Eli smirked as he saw Clare's face flush, obviously embarrassed.

"Nice to meet you sir, I'm Eli," Eli nodded to Harvey.

Harvey shook his hand and smiled but then pulled on Eli's hand, forcing him to hunch over the counter and his face closer to Harvey's. "Just because you're the only one staying at the inn doesn't mean you're gonna get special attention from the girl running it, okay?" Harvey threatened.

Eli gulped. He wasn't one to get intimidated but this guy was pretty intimidating. "Yes sir."

Once Harvey let go of his arm Eli took a few steps back and rubbed the part which Harvey kept a hold on. He heard Clare laughing a bit and finally said to Harvey, "I need new spark plugs. My truck failed on me recently. Thankfully I was already here."

"How'd you know it was a spark plug problem?" Harvey asked.

Eli saw Clare giving Harvey a look and it made him confused. When he saw Harvey form an o and nodded, he became even more confused.

"Spark plugs are over there sweetheart, take 'em and go, my treat."

Clare thanked Harvey and Eli followed Clare to the aisle that Harvey pointed out. Clare looked through the different kinds and find the one she needed for her truck. "So do you know how to replace the spark plugs?" Eli asked, looking at the different brands.

"Yeah I do actually," Clare replied. "One of the few things I know about fixing cars. Thanks Harvey!"

Clare and Eli headed towards the exit as they heard Harvey saying, "Bye sweetheart! Keep your hands off her Eli!" Eli turned around and waved goodbye to Harvey before heading out of the store and to the car where Clare was already waiting.

"Did you want to check out other places or did you just want to head back?" Clare asked once they were both in the car.

"I think we should go and fix your car," Eli answered as he started the car.

"You don't like driving me around?" Clare teased.

Eli rolled his eyes. "I just like working on cars."

"Who said I was gonna let you work on my truck?"

"Oh so you're going to pass up the chance for an experience mechanic? Cool."

Eli could tell that Clare didn't believe him. "You're seventeen, how are you experienced?"

"Just am," Eli replied nonchalant. Then he thought about the other way that that could've been taken and laughed to himself.

He pulled up to the inn and the two went over to the dark blue truck. Clare opened the hood and grabbed a tool box from the bed of the truck. She began to remove each spark plug cable when Eli got curious and asked, "How'd you know that there was a spark plug problem?"

"Well I knew there was a problem when just recently I would push on the gas pedal and it wouldn't go any faster and the gas mileage was going down," Clare answered without looking up. "When I got this truck the spark plugs were as old as the car itself so I figured that it was the thing needing replacing."

"You do know that when you change your oil, you change the spark plugs, right?"

Clare came out from the hood of the car and wiped her hands on her jeans without a care. "Are you seriously a mechanic?"

"Do you think I am?" Eli retorted.

"Well you're either just a pain in the ass or you really are a mechanic."

Eli smirked and put his hands in his pockets. "I'd like to think I'm both. More so a mechanic but hey, what can do you?"

He watched Clare roll her eyes and gestured over to the car. Eli hunched over the engine and started poking around. "When did you notice that the gas and speed was failing on you?"

"A few days before I arrived, which was three days ago so I'd say a week."

Eli saw that Clare's replacement of the spark plugs were beautifully done and believed that that was one of the problems but with the failing of the spark plugs and the age of the truck he also believed that there was another, more expensive problem to the car than just a set of spark plugs.

"Okay, here's the deal," Eli came out from under the hood with now dirty hands and turned to Clare. "Spark plugs definitely needed replacing and you seem to get a good handle on that but there's a bigger problem with your car but it's pretty expensive."

Clare whined to herself and put her hand to her forehead. "How much?"

"Well if you find a catalytic converter online for cheap then it significantly lowers the cost but getting the professional replacement at a shop will be even more expensive than the converter itself. I'd say with going to a shop it'd be at least a thousand. I'm pretty sure you can find one online for around two hundred," Eli answered honestly. He had experience with cars, not just with his own but with his dad's and the fact that they'd been bonding and working over cars ever since Eli was five. With the failing of the spark plugs came the fail of the catalytic converter. Clare failed to change the spark plugs early enough to save the converter.

"Great," Clare muttered. She pulled her hand away from her forehead and Eli saw a grease marking left by her hand. "Don't know where I'll get the thousand dollars, let alone the two hundred. Ugh, this is just great."

She went to go sit at the porch steps and Eli continued to replace the spark plugs and quickly and correctly he had it finished and closed the hood of the car. His hands were considerably dirty and he didn't want to wipe it on his shirt so he awkwardly held his hands out in front of him as he carried the old spark plugs and went to go inside the house. He walked past Clare who was still sitting on the porch and he felt bad for her. She was so distraught and sad about her truck.

Eli disposed of the spark plugs and scrubbed his hands clean from the grease and oil. It took him a while to actually get the non greasy feeling from his hands. When he finally did he headed downstairs and found Clare cooking. Eli glanced at the clock and saw it was only 3 o'clock.

"You know…there's still some leftovers, you don't need to cook," Eli said slowly and watched as Clare acted as if he wasn't even there. "Seriously, even the breakfast you made is enough to last until tomorrow…"

Clare only continued on chopping vegetables and Eli slowly made his way over to the fridge to grab a coke and just sit outside for a little while when he got distracted by a picture stuck onto it with a magnet. He looked closely at the picture and saw a cute little red haired girl smiling in the sand with arm floaties on. Once he got a closer look at the girl's eyes he realized it was Clare.

"Is this you?" Eli asked, pointing at the picture. He saw Clare look over with widened eyes. She quickly ran over to the fridge, brushing against Eli in the process, and she snatched the picture from the fridge and put it in her pocket.

"I'll take that as a yes," Eli muttered under his breath. He grabbed a coke and before closing the door, he asked, "Do you want one?" He waited for a few seconds and received no answer. Rolling his eyes he finally closed the door and headed back up to his room. He was no longer in the mood to just sit outside so he just went up and got on the computer.

Eli didn't know why but he just started to search for catalytic converters. He saw that Clare really wanted to fix her car and was sad to see Clare's disappointment but also he wanted a different focus for the summer. If he had something to work on, especially something like this, he could forget what he wanted to forget. So he started to look for converters that would fit Clare's truck and printed out a few relatively cheap options.

He went downstairs and saw that Clare was still cooking. Eli sat down at the island stool and set down the set of papers. "I found a few cheap converters that maybe you could look at and think about getting—"

"Can't afford it," Clare cut him off quickly. "Do you like pasta?"

"Love pasta," Eli answered. "I could pay for it now and you could just pay me back when you can…"

"No, I can't ask you to do that."

"I didn't ask, I offered."

"Well I don't want to owe you anything."

"You wouldn't be owing me anything, you could pay me back slowly and I could—"

"_I can't afford it_," Clare only said more sternly. "Thank you for the offer but I really can't afford it, even if I pay you back slowly."

Eli took a deep breath and put his hands on the table. He really needed a distraction and although being at a beautiful beach with a hard headed girl was distracting him enough, he needed something to do. This was the perfect outlet and the only thing preventing it was the hard headed girl.

"Look," he started. His voice got serious which made Clare turn to him. "I need something to do to take my focus away from…things…and this is the perfect thing for me to do. I see that you cook to do something, I like to fix cars. Yours just happens to be in need of a repair so please, let me do this for you. I'll pay for it now, it's okay, but please."

Eli tried his best to put on his most sad face to get Clare's sympathy and even tried to use his pouty lips. When Clare sighed and went to sit next to him he tried hard to hide the victory smile off his face. "Let me see the converters," Clare said. Eli handed her the papers and went around the island to the simmering pan with pasta cooking in it.

"This ready yet?" Eli asked her.

"Few more minutes and it should be fine," Clare answered. She continued to look at the papers while Eli stirred the pasta and eventually plated it up, shredded some cheese over both their plates, and sat them in front of where he and Clare sat. He also grabbed two more drinks from the fridge and opened them up. Clare didn't look up from the papers in that amount of time.

"Cheapest might not be a good idea," Clare said slowly as she read one of the papers.

"Agreed," Eli responded after swallowing his food. "Don't get that one, the website looks a little suspicious."

"Okay, this one's out." Clare set it aside and looked at the next one. "Do you think this one's good?"

Eli glanced over to the paper Clare was tilting over in his direction and he shook his head. "No, the product looks cheap and not for its price."

Clare set that one aside and picked up another. "At least this one's a legit website. Could be good?" She continued to read from it so Eli leaned over, accidentally bumping into her shoulder. He apologized and read over the description and looked at the price.

"Yeah, I think this was the one I preferred the most. The price isn't outrageous either. So can I order it, get it here quick?"

Eli could tell that Clare was still a little hesitant but she nodded her head. "Fine. I'll pay you back as soon as possible though."

"No rush," Eli assured her. He turned his head, not remembering how close he was to her, and they accidentally brushed noses. Still, neither moved away. Eli got the chance to look into her eyes even more deeply and realized it was gray in some lighting. He saw Clare's eyes drift down to his lips and he found himself looking down to hers. He finally sat back in the seat, looking away for a second to not be caught with red cheeks. "So…this is really good pasta. Where'd you learn to cook?"

Clare laughed a nervous laugh which Eli caught and he instantly felt better. At least he wasn't the only one who felt awkward. They started to talk again, much like the night before, and before they knew it their dinner was over and they were sharing a big bowl of chocolate ice cream while they sat outside on the porch, looking at the ocean.

"Jeez, we've been out here for hours," Clare spoke, looking at her watch. They were sitting on patio chairs with a table between them holding the now empty bowl of chocolate ice cream. Each of them were comfortable with their own blanket and pillow as they spent the hours sitting outside.

"What time is it?" Eli asked.

Clare started laughing. "1 in the morning."

"Oh, wow. I guess we should probably go in now," Eli said. He picked up the empty bowl and headed towards the door when he noticed that Clare hadn't gotten up. "Are you coming inside?"

"I'm gonna stay out here a bit longer," Clare told him.

"Okay then." Eli felt a little uncomfortable leaving a woman outside by herself so late in the night so he went inside and put the bowl into the sink, grabbed two bottles of water, and headed back out. Clare looked at him curiously as he sat back down in his seat and adjusted his blanket over him.

"What are you doing?" Clare asked as she eyed him.

"Staying with you," Eli replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Come on, it's late and you never know who'll show up here. I'll go back inside when you do."

"Thank you," Clare said softly. Eli just gave her a small smile and looked back out to the ocean.

"Thank you for…everything," he heard Clare say a moment later. "Helping me with my truck and the stuff around here, I didn't expect—"

"Thank _you_ for keeping my focus elsewhere," Eli interrupted and said truly. "If I was just here not doing anything I think I'd be going crazy." His nervous laugh afterwards looks as if it confused Clare so he tried to regain his composure, cleared his throat and looked back out.

"What…are you trying to forget?" Clare asked slowly and hesitantly.

"Not forget," Eli responded. He looked down to his now shaking hands and gripped them into a tight fist. "Just…not remember for the summer. It's been a crappy year."

"Tell me about it," Clare muttered to herself. This kind of stunned Eli. There was someone else who has also had a terrible year and she happened to be the one running the inn he was staying at. He became curious as to what made her year terrible but knowing that he wouldn't say if Clare asked him he decided not to ask and just let it go.

"I think I'm ready to go back inside." Eli watched as Clare scrambled her things together and walked back inside quickly. He followed her, taking his own blanket and pillow, and watched as Clare seemed to be in a hurry to get back to her room.

"Are you okay?" Eli asked as he followed her to the staircase.

"Fine," Clare answered shortly. Eli headed to his own door while Clare stopped at her room and turned to him. "Goodnight."

"Night," Eli said and waited until Clare was in her room to go into his own.

_Well that was weird…_Eli thought to himself as he got ready for bed. He brushed his teeth and washed his face before signing onto the computer and getting on Facebook to check for a message back from Adam. He was happy when he saw that Adam did in fact message him back.

"_Do what you have to do man. I hope you get to do what it is you set out to do. But since you're gone, it only means one thing. More food for me at the Goldsworthy house!"_

Eli laughed and pictured Adam at his parent's house eating two servings of food all for himself. The picture in his mind made him smile. Adam was his best friend in the entire world and nothing, not even what they went through the past year, could tear that special once-in-a-lifetime friendship apart. Eli typed a quick reply back and sent it. Then he saw another new message and clicked on it. From Imogen.

"_Adam won't tell me where you are because he says he doesn't know. I don't believe him though since you tell him everything. I'm worried about you, please come back and talk to me. We can work things out. I do love you despite what you may believe. Don't run away from me."_

Eli just deleted the message. He didn't want to deal with Imogen right now especially since he was finally feeling content in this new environment. Eli silently thanked Adam for not telling Imogen any information. Eli didn't tell Adam where he was but he knew that if Adam did know any small piece of information he wouldn't tell anyone, especially Imogen. She just didn't get the hint.

Before going to bed Eli decided to place the order on the catalytic converter. He went to the site which Clare liked best and bought the part with his credit card and put it on express shipping so it would get here faster, so his distraction would arrive sooner. Plus, not only would it distract him for a little while he thought that it was a good thing to do something in return for the person who was giving him shelter for an entire summer. Clare seemed like an extremely nice person, which Eli thanked for since he'd hate to have to be alone with someone unpleasant.

Once signing off the computer Eli climbed into his terribly comfortable bed and within seconds, was out.

* * *

><p><strong>While writing this I've figured out how the entire story will play out! I'm so excited! Thanks for the lovely reviews so far and I hope you keep on reviewing and reading! I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story so far! :)<strong>

**I don't know that much about cars but I'm actually interested in cars. I know how to change a tire but that's about it so I did the research required for the story! A lot of this story will require more research on my part. Maybe you guys can learn while you read! Best part of reading right?**

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	4. Rumors

**Things begin to get interesting in this chapter. Enjoy.**

**Chapter Four – Rumors**

"Can I ask you a question?"

Eli and Clare were sitting outside again, eating breakfast on the porch a week later. For some strange reason they woke up at the same time, ran into each other in the hallway both showered and dressed, and finally when the awkwardness of the situation was put aside, they decided to eat breakfast together. They had at least done this 4 out of the 7 days after Eli ordered the catalytic converter for Clare's truck

"Sure," Clare replied.

"Why…am I the only one here?" This was one of the questions nagging Eli's mind from the start. When Clare had mentioned that she only had to look after one tenant the entire summer it took him by surprise. "The Moonlight" was a beautiful inn with the perfect beach view and yet he was the only one who booked a reservation.

"Do you want to know the truth?" Clare asked him. She turned his head to him while squinting. He nodded. "My…uh, my mom actually runs this place. After my parents got a divorce she took over the inn which has been run by family for so many years now. Let's just say she didn't give it a great reputation. And you're a Toronto boy so you haven't heard. People stay away from this place because of the bad rep."

"And where's your mom now?" Eli asked curiously.

Clare stiffened up and let out a deep breath. "That's something you don't need to know."

"Why not?"

"Well when you tell me why you're actually here, I'll tell you about that," Clare countered.

Eli knew that he'd never confess about why he left Toronto for the summer and it seemed that Clare was quite adamant about keeping that part of the story quiet. So he quietly submitted to it and let that go.

"So that picture on the fridge…it was here since this is your mom's place, right?"

Clare nodded her head. "That's right. I was a weird looking baby, wasn't I?"

"No," Eli chuckled. "A really adorable baby, actually. Still have those curls."

"Not so cute when you're sixteen years old," Clare said scrunching her face. "But hey, what can you do?"

"I like your hair," Eli told her honestly. "It's nice to see someone with short, curly hair which I assume is your natural hair. Everyone back home has either pin straight, dyed hair or curly, frizzy, unattractive hair. It's all fake."

"I didn't realize guys paid attention to that stuff. I always assumed that, you know, they don't care about that stuff. Just as long as they're cute."

Eli raised a brow. "You think I'm that shallow?"

"No, just guys in general. I don't know any guy otherwise. Well, except a few but they're actual sweethearts, childhood friends. But no guys in my school or recently have shown me otherwise. And maybe that's why I'm so cynical about that kind of thing."

"What thing?" Eli got really curious now that they were talking to each other about personal things. Whenever they had a discussion it was usually about the area, opinions on things, and whatever random things they could think of, but it was never about personal things. They hadn't gone to get to know each other and it didn't seem like that was a priority for either of them. Eli was just simply curious about the sixteen year old girl that was running the inn he was staying at.

"Love, romance, all that sappy stuff," Clare said with a repulsed voice. "Don't believe in it. I used to, used to think that I'd find 'prince charming' because I was really into Disney princess movies when I was younger. Now that I'm older, a bit more experienced and secular and have seen things unfold about love and romance, it just doesn't seem to work and it's not appealing. But that's just me. Just because I don't think I'll fall in love with anyone doesn't mean that no one else will have a successful love life. Me personally, not gonna happen."

While listening to Clare's words, it really hit Eli home. His experience with love wasn't successful either and though not by choice, it just didn't seem like he would have a good streak with relationships and love. He did have some hope though, more than Clare it seemed, but he could understand. "Though I agree," Eli began slowly. He was trying to find the words to counter with Clare's belief about love but he couldn't find them. "Nope, not even gonna argue with that. I agree. Once you see or experience a disappointing act of love, it just doesn't seem attainable."

"So you've had a bad experience?" Clare asked him, now very interested in what he had to say.

But of course Eli wasn't having any of it. "When you tell me about your experience, I'll tell you about mine." He smirked, knowing he'd got her there with his witty counter of what she said earlier, and she held up her hands in defeat.

"Fair enough," she laughed. Eli noticed that she began looking around the area behind the inn, eyeing a few people walking beside the water, and her eyebrows pushed together in confusion. "You know…for someone who went to a beach inn for the summer, you don't seem to be into being _at_ the beach."

He didn't realize that at all. He wasn't looking to go to a beach, he just happened to come across the website for this inn. "Oh," he said. "I didn't come here for the beach. I just came here for the escape."

"But you're at the beach, you should at least enjoy it. Maybe get a tan, you're pretty pale," she said but when Eli looked over again, he saw a smirk on her face. She was getting influenced by his action and it made him smile.

"I don't tan, I burn," Eli confessed. "When I was a kid my parents and I were at a beach and I must've been like, 6 or something, but yeah, I refused to wear sunscreen and boom, couldn't move for like, two days. I looked like a gigantic tomato, I was that red. Ever since then I just avoid staying in the sun and I wear—"

"All black?" Clare teased again.

He rolled his eyes. "Long sleeves mostly, but yes I generally wear all black."

"Do you have any clothes that aren't?"

"Yes," Eli laughed. "I did bring some other clothing with me but mostly muted tones."

"Wow, _muted tones_, never heard a guy say that before," Clare chuckled. "Don't you get hot though? It _is_ summer."

Shrugging in response, Eli nonchalantly replied, "I'm used to it."

Eventually they both got on with their days. Eli decided to take a walk around the beach since Clare seemed adamant about getting him out of the house. To shock her he even put on one of his long sleeve, light blue collared shirts over a black beater. Once he walked downstairs to leave he smirked at the fact that Clare's eyes were following him as he went out the back way, passing the kitchen where Clare was cleaning. He flashed her a wink before closing the back door and heading down the porch steps.

Once his shoes touched the sand, he stumbled a bit and realized that his shoes were probably not a good idea for walking in the sand. He didn't have any flip flops or sandals with him, a stupid decision, so grudgingly, Eli took off his shoes and put his socks into them and held them in his hands.

The area around The Moonlight was a bare one but if you went about two miles in each direction, you'd reach the town and the pier or some houses. But The Moonlight was the loneliest place.

While Eli walked, he turned around to admire the inn in its entirety. It looked very old but very sturdy. The wood was an off-white color and the some of the shutters looked like it was close to falling. Eli wondered about what Clare told him earlier, how her mother ran the inn. Was it a family business from the start? She mentioned it was years since her family ran it but was it her ancestors that built it? Then he also wondered about Clare's mother's absence. If she ran the inn, why was she not there and why was Clare running it?

Eli turned back around and continued to walk along the water, the sea coming to meet his feet for a few seconds then retreating back. He enjoyed that cold rush of water on his bare feet and liked how sand stuck to the bottom of sides of his feet. It was a relaxing feeling that Eli remembered from his childhood vacation with his parents. He watched his footsteps disappearing behind him as the water took away the remnants of the indents in the soft sand. Eli found himself smiling to himself during the time he was walking. His mind was only full of sweet memories.

By the time Eli finally looked up, the town was already in view. Eli turned around and barely saw the inn in the distance. He took in his surroundings and found that there were a few groups of people enjoying the sunny, warm day. There were families, many little children building sandcastles, and there was also a group of girls tanning side by side.

Without his phone and without a watch, Eli was wondering what the time was. Sighing he started to approach the girls who were tanning in their chairs, and asked, "Can someone tell me the time?"

One girl with fiery dyed red hair, took off her sunglasses and eyed him. Eli felt a little uncomfortable as she looked at him up and down while licking her lips. The fact that she was probably fifteen wasn't helping either. "Sure," she replied in a flirty voice. Eli rolled his eyes and turned his head away. "It's 3:20."

"Thanks," Eli said quickly and started walking back, hoping that the girl wouldn't call after him.

"Wait!"

He cursed to himself but turned around slowly. The girl was walking up to him, now wrapped in a tiny little cover-up. Eli saw her friends all looking at him with the sunglasses slightly tilted away from their eyes and smiling.

"You on vacation?" the girl asked him.

"Yeah," Eli answered shortly.

"Thought so," the girl smirked. "I've never seen you around here. I'm Raina."

Eli just nodded, not really wanting to tell a girl he didn't know his name. He just wanted to get the hell away from her.

"There's gonna be a bonfire tonight, it happens every week during the summer during this day of the week," Raina explained. "You should come."

"Probably not," Eli hesitated. He wanted to say no but he didn't want to be rude either. "I need to get back."

"Where are you staying?" Raina grabbed a hold of Eli's wrist as he walked away again.

"A…place…" Eli replied slowly. If he wasn't going to tell him name to some girl, he sure as hell wasn't going to tell her where he would be staying.

"Wait, you must be saying at that…what is it, The Midnight or…moonlight! That's it, The Moonlight!" Raina was pointing animatedly at him. "I thought that place was closed. The owner left or something."

"What?" Eli raised a brow. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, you're vacationing so you don't know." Raina stepped a bit closer to him and began to explain. "Around here it's no secret that Helen Edwards is a bit…you know, _under_. Everyone knows that she's divorced and her husband lives in the States with their daughter and Randall has this great life. He's a hot-shot doctor and their daughter's like, perfect. They used to come here for vacations years ago. But anyways, it's been like, seven years since they divorced and when that happened, Helen started running the inn. It's like, their family's business or whatever. But a few months ago Helen was getting into alcohol and drugs and started trashing the inn and people started avoiding it. Like, seriously, it was like, a rule that you should not go there. Even people vacationing don't go there anymore so that's weird that you're staying there. Who's running the place?"

So that was the story, Eli thought. Clare's mom did run the place but got into some bad things but that doesn't explain where she went and why Clare is there. "What happened to Helen?" he asked Raina curiously.

"That's what no one knows," she shrugged. "But seriously, who's there now?"

"Clare," Eli answered. "Clare Edwards."

Eli was a bit amused at Raina's reaction. Her mouth dropped and her face contorted into confusion. "But…she lives in Chicago with her dad. I haven't seen her in…years!" Raina was exclaiming. Once she stopped saying random things, Raina turned her attention back to Eli. "Look, just be careful there, yeah? Who knows what's going on with that family."

Eli scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Goodbye."

He headed back towards the inn's direction but kept hearing Raina calling after him. Finally, fed up with the girl, he started running so he could just get away quicker. He wasn't a great runner and the fact that he was running on sand wasn't lovely but he ran pretty fast. Eli just really wanted to get away from that gossipy girl.

When he got back to the inn he was coughing and heaving, tired from his run. He settled his shoes on the porch and walked to the door and through the screen he saw Clare still cleaning. She was cleaning the counters so diligently and he smiled. He noticed that she had her earphones in and was listening to her music. And she was actually singing along quietly, Eli could hear her voice.

He looked down and noticed his black beater was very damp with his sweat. Not enjoying the feeling of the fabric sticking to his skin, Eli shrugged off the collared shirt and took off the beater. He put the light collared shirt back on and left it unbuttoned. He went back into the house and caught Clare staring at him. She turned away very quickly and he saw her flushed face from the profile of her head. Smirking to himself he started walking past her and headed out of the kitchen. Before leaving he turned. "I'm gonna take a shower and then help you out. Try not to think about me while I'm gone." He winked teasingly and walked out, not staying for Clare's reaction.

In record time he was clean and dressed, now in a navy v-neck and regular jeans instead of his black shirt and skinny jeans. Now that he figured that Clare was attracted to him, he thought he'd mess with her a bit. Not that he was hoping Clare was attracted to him or that he was attracted to her, to him it was just fun to see her blushing.

But secretly he was trying to impress her. He'd never admit it though.

Eli towel dried his hair and flipped it once, examining himself in the mirror. It was weird to him that he was dressed in lighter clothing. Navy wasn't a bit step up from black but it was definitely lighter. He saw that he didn't look as pale as he usually did and he pursed his lips and shrugged to himself. He liked his appearance that day.

He headed downstairs to the kitchen and found Clare now cleaning the stove. "You clean a lot," Eli commented. Clare jumped in surprise and Eli laughed slightly. "And you're easily startled."

"Am not," Clare muttered and resumed scrubbing the stove.

"Or you're just excited to see me?" Eli teased, obviously referring to the moment she was staring at him without a shirt.

"Oh yeah that's it," Clare replied sarcastically. "I missed you terribly while you were on your walk. Tell me, any fascinating adventures?"

Eli walked around to sit at a stool. "Actually yes."

"Oh do tell," Clare replied in the same joking tone as before.

"Do you happen to know a Raina?"

Eli heard the drop of whatever Clare was using to clean the stove and she was now standing up straight, her back still to him. "What did you hear?"

"What makes you think I heard things?" Eli asked.

Clare turned around to him and he was little shocked at the very serious expression she now had on her face. "Raina has never had a discussion with anyone that didn't involve gossip," Clare replied. "Now what did you hear?"

"So you know her?" Eli asked, diverting from the obvious topic Clare was bringing up.

"I grew up with her," she answered. "Haven't seen her in a while. Doubt that she's changed."

"Was she a talkative, loud, boy-starer when you knew her?"

Clare actually cracked a smile through her serious demeanor. "Yes. Exactly."

"Then she hasn't changed," Eli laughed. "Her friends were staring at me like I was the first guy they've seen."

"It's because there hasn't been a lot of cute guys in this town," Clare said without looking at him. Her eyes widened and she started to stutter. "I mean…not many…_new_ guys…"

"I think we both know what you meant." The awkwardness between them was more prominent now and Eli actually felt a little bad about his constant teasing. "Fine," he sighed and cleared his throat. "I'll tell you what I heard but you tell me what's true or not."

"So you're not assuming that what she said was right?"

"You did say that everything she said was gossip," Eli pointed out. "So…deal?"

"Deal," Clare sighed in defeat. She took a seat on the second stool at the island.

"She said that your parents divorced seven years ago," Eli began and Clare already looked down in her lap. Even though earlier that day Clare told him that her parents did divorce, he was hesitant to continue. "Um…she said that you live with your dad who's a doctor in Chicago and your mom was here…running the inn. Apparently your mom was getting into drugs and alcohol and pretty much made this place one to avoid. She was shocked to hear that I was staying here and that…you're here running it. And no one knows where your mom is."

Clare looked up with her lips pressed into a thin line. Her head chin resting on her hand as she leaned on the island, she opened her mouth but seemed to find it hard to figure out what to say. Eli waited for her to speak, his heart dropping as he saw a tear from her eyes. Suddenly she was crying into her hands.

When someone cries, it's never easy to decide what to do. Do you comfort them? Do you wait? What if you barely know the person? Eli played with his hands awkwardly and tried not watching Clare as she silently teared into her hands but he had a strong impulse to go and comfort her. So he stood up and stood beside Clare's stool, wrapping both of his arms around her. She tried to pull away but eventually she gave in and lent to him, still tearing and sniffling.

Eli woke up to a dark room, lying uncomfortably on the couch of the living room area of the inn, and he began to move but realized that someone had their head on his chest and her arm around him. Then he began to remember that he brought Clare to the living room so she could be comfortable and somehow they ended up laying down and sleeping.

The tear stains on Clare's face made Eli want to rub his thumb under her eyes and wipe them away. He reached over and gently ran the tips of his fingers over her face and pulled away when he saw her eyes fluttering open.

"It's all true," she whispered.

"What is?"

"Everything she told you. It's all true."


	5. The Truth

**DEGRASSI IS BACK IN 2 DAYS. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? I CANNOT.**

**Thank you for the wait and for your reviews. You are all amazing.**

**Chapter Five – The Truth**

Eli wasn't expecting any details. He had said what he knew about Clare to her and seeing her cry, seeing her become vulnerable through her weirdly tough exterior, Eli didn't want to see her hurting again. As he held her in his arms and heard her mixture of sniffling and deep breathing, she was at her most vulnerable state. It was actually heartbreaking.

"They divorced because my mom started using drugs and abusing alcohol," Clare began. Her eyes were focused on Eli's shirt as she kept her hand over his heart. He was trying really hard to control his rapidly pulsing heart rate but a beautiful girl was in his arms. It was difficult to even breathe.

"It got to the point where…my dad was afraid to even have me near her," she continued. "So he took me without telling my mother first. She was angry and wanted to get me back but seeing as she was a drunk and a druggie, that was definitely not going to get past court. Things got a lot worse with her over the years and she had a friend who lived around here that helped her out. But she ran away, don't know where, don't know when."

"So…why are you here?" Eli asked nervously.

Clare tilted her head up and looked into Eli's eyes. Eli was able to see the sadness in Clare's normally shining blue eyes. It could've been the lighting in the dark room but her eyes became borderline navy. It was strange to see Clare looking so dark.

"My mom's friend called my dad and said she was missing. And…my first thought was…who's going to run the inn?"

Eli felt Clare's head fall back onto his chest and she started to cry again. "Does that make me a terrible daughter?"

As Clare cried, Eli adjusted his arms to hold her closer and his chin rested on the top of her head. He let her cry more, avoiding saying the wrong thing, and knowing that Clare didn't want that question to be answered because in her mind, she had answered the question herself.

"I'm sorry," Clare said after a little while. "This must not be how you imagined your vacation. Having to console an emotionally damaged girl."

Feeling a little brave, Eli took his hand and lifted Clare's head up so she would look at him. "That's okay," he smiled.

Clare pressed her lips together as she looked at him and Eli heart raced even more. She then bit her bottom lip as she looked at his own lips and he didn't even have time to think when Clare reached up and kissed him.

Eli tensed up as she felt Clare's hand slowly moving up his chest and then went to wrap around his neck. He hadn't felt such a sensual touch, a desired one anyways, in a long time. Clare's hand clutched his hair a little roughly and she started moving her lips. Eli was still not reacting favorably and Clare seemed to sense it and made the move to move back but Eli pressed their lips together further, his hand clutching her shirt.

When Clare maneuvered her body over his, Eli had to pull away as his air supply was being constricted from the pressure and the fact that he hadn't even taken a breath as Clare took his away.

But Clare had other ideas as she dove in for another kiss, kissing Eli earnestly and deeply, and her fingers now tightly gripping his hair. Eli slowly took his hand from her back to her neck and pulled her closer.

Eli couldn't breathe. His heart was pounding. Lips on fire. Mind racing. But he loved every second of it. Kissing Clare Edwards in only the moonlight streaming in. Was there any way that a moment could be more perfect? Eli didn't think so.

Clare pulled her lips away suddenly and sat up and Eli admired the view of the swollen lipped Clare with a flushed face.

"Oh my God."

"Not the reaction I thought you'd have…"

She jumped off of his lap and started pacing around the room, a hand to her forehead. "Oh my God, _Oh_ my God."

Eli sat up, adjusting his jeans a little bit. Since he had changed earlier into regular jeans, his problem was a lot more noticeable. He watched as Clare seemed to have a battle with herself as she muttered the same phrase over and over.

"I swear to God Clare, if you don't stop—"

"That never happened."

Eli tried hiding his disappointment but his face, he knew, just said it all. "Clare, we can't just forget that that happened because it did."

"No, it didn't," Clare said seriously. "That couldn't have happened, I just met you! I don't do this!"

"And you think I do this all the time?" Eli retorted with a snort. "It's not all the time that I meet someone on a vacation and then make out with them."

"We did not make out," Clare scoffed, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"_You_ are the one who kissed me and _you_ are the one who got on top of me, isn't that right?" Eli was teasing at this point, just loving the fact that Clare was getting redder by the word. He walked up to her and at first she was going to push him away but he took her hands and linked their fingers. "And I didn't mind any of it." Eli muttered those words before sweeping down and capturing Clare's lips by surprise, making her squeak and Eli took the opportunity to touch his tongue to hers. Although the kiss was not innocent, it was rather slow and passionate. Eli took the opportunity to back Clare up against the wall, their hands still connected tightly.

When Eli pulled away, he noticed Clare still had her eyes clothes and lips slightly parted. She looked breathtaking and natural. When she finally opened her eyes again, the navy darkness was replaced by the usual light blue. He leaned down and kissed Clare's eyelids which fluttered closed. Then her nose, and cheek.

"Did this happen?" Eli whispered in Clare's ear and he felt her shiver.

"I…I don't know…" Clare stuttered.

With one final peck to Clare's lips, Eli stepped away from her. "Sleep on it then," he told her. Then he walked upstairs.

* * *

><p>The following morning, Eli found Clare still sleeping in her room. The closed door was the signal, since her door was never closed unless she was still in bed. He wanted to see her, after dreaming of her and replaying the kiss many times in his dreams, but she said that she didn't know if she wanted it to happen. He gave her the choice and he needed to wait for what the decision was.<p>

He heard a knock on the main door and he quietly made his way downstairs, and found a big shipping box right in front of the door. It was his name on the label and he realized it was the catalytic converter that he had ordered for Clare's truck. He smiled and quickly changed his clothes into something more comfortable for him to work in, and he got to working quickly.

Thankfully he had brought his iTouch with him so he'd have some music to entertain him. He clicked on one his playlists and set aside the iTouch in a safe place and after opening the box and retrieving the piece, he went on to fix up Clare's truck.

Having his hands oily and holding steel tools, Eli was brought back to working on his dad's classic cars. Bullfrog liked collecting them, thinking his son could have the choice of his first car among them, but Eli chose to drive a hearse. They fixed up Morty together, getting it to run beautifully, and ever since then, Eli had a big passion for cars.

He tried to work as slowly as possible. Not only to ensure that the part was replaced accurately, but to enjoy the time and preserve the moment. He hadn't worked on a car in a long time, not since what happened, and getting his hands dirty again was as relaxing as he'd imagined.

The distraction was a quick one though because after only a few hours, Eli was almost finished. He wiped his oily hands on a rag and reached for a different tool in the toolbox Clare had in the truck bed but was met with something soft.

Eli turned his head and stood up straight when he saw Clare, still in her pajama pants and a loose shirt plus a severe case of bed head. It must've been past noon and yet here she was still looking like she wanted to sleep.

"How long have you been working?" Clare asked him.

Eli didn't have his phone or a watch to check the time so he shrugged. "At least 2 Dead Hand albums, I'd say."

Clare had a conflicting look on her face, along with squinting eyes because of the bright sun, and Eli couldn't help but be nervous of what she was going to say. She definitely looked like she needed to tell him something and he just wish she'd say it.

"Last night…" she began and Eli put a hand up. He walked over to his music and turned it off, making his way back to her.

"Okay, continue," Eli said. They were standing in front of Clare's exposed truck. It was weird placement but for some reason it seemed fitting.

"Last night," Clare repeated. "I…poured my secret out to you and…I guess I was feeling sad and depressed and hurt and just everything that happened with her just came out at that moment."

Eli nodded, dreading the direction this was going. She was going to say that they should forget about last night, that it never happened, that it was a mistake. Eli really had no idea how it was possible that he fell for Clare that fast, that he developed such a desire for her not only for how she made him feel but for the fact that she was strong and independent and refreshingly different.

"You think I manipulated your sad feelings last night…" Eli stated, but questioned it. "I took advantage of the situation…"

"No!" Clare said quickly and Eli sighed in relief. "That's not it at all!"

"Then what is it?"

"I don't trust myself around you."

"What are you talking about?" Eli reached over for the rag again and started cleaning his hands more diligently, but it wasn't working well.

Clare groaned and looked away. "I can't take you seriously when you're sweaty and dirty so can you please take a shower before we continue?"

Eli smirked and closed the hood of Clare's truck. He walked towards the door and as he passed Clare, he whispered to her, "Would you like to join me?"

Clare shoved his shoulder and pointed towards the door. She had a flustered expression and Eli just smirked at her until he made it into the house.

His new found confidence was very surprising. Eli always thought of himself as a no-holds barred, confident, honest kind of guy. But he was never as blunt about things such as this, like calling out sexual tension like he just did with Clare. Last night he was more confident as he joked with Clare about their steamy first kiss. Clare was bringing out a new side of him and he didn't mind it. He knew that this side was probably caused by the chemistry between them. It was obvious. He knew it was obvious the moment they met.

Eli showered and cleaned himself up as quickly as he could in order to talk to Clare. He wanted to know what she had to say. He wanted to know what her hesitance was. Why doesn't she trust herself around him?

When he went back downstairs, Clare was in the kitchen. It seemed that she was making cookies, as she was dumping chocolate chips into a light looking batter.

"Am I clean enough now?" Eli teased.

Clare rolled her eyes and stopped mixing the batter. She turned her head and looked at him. "You make me question everything."

"I'm sorry?"

"I was so sure of myself, I knew who I was when I came here, and my focus was just to get this place running," Clare said rather quickly. She was pacing around the kitchen, much like she was doing the night before in the living room. "And _you_ come along and it's only been just a little bit more than a week and suddenly, you know more about me than anyone else in the world."

Eli felt a little flattered but Clare's tone wasn't very assuring.

"I don't know what it is about you," Clare slowly said, looking at Eli with softer eyes. "But all of a sudden I'm willing to…be swept off my feet and I barely even know you."

"We have all summer," Eli said. "You can get to know me."

"Exactly, and that scares me," Clare confessed. "I don't get to know people because once I do, they're gone."

The vulnerable side of Clare came out once more and Eli stepped forward to her, cupping her cheek. "Take a risk on me," he whispered. "I don't know what it is about you either but…I am so willing to find out what it is."

Clare reached up to Eli's hand on her face and she put her fingers between his. "Yesterday…do you remember what we talked about in the morning?"

"We were talking about why I was the only one here and you told me a slightly different version of the truth," Eli recalled.

"Do you remember what I said after you asked me where my mom was?"

Eli thought back, replaying the conversation in his mind.

"_And where's your mom now?" Eli asked curiously._

_Clare stiffened up and let out a deep breath. "That's something you don't need to know."_

"_Why not?"_

"_Well when you tell me why you're actually here, I'll tell you about that," Clare countered._

"I told you the truth," Clare said once Eli's face changed. "You tell me yours."

Eli stepped away from her, ripping his hand away as if it was on fire. "I don't know if I can."

Clare's face fell. "I knew it." She started to head towards the back door and the picture of someone walking out on him again and he caught her arm.

"My girlfriend was killed."

Eli braced himself for Clare's loud and surprised reaction but she had a calm look, all she wanted was for him to continue.

"Last summer, Julia and I got into a fight," Eli told Clare, his eyes shifting back and forth and trying to keep himself from bursting. He hadn't told anyone the story before. His parents knew about it, as did his best friend, but Eli never explained it aloud to anyone in his own words. "She accused me on cheating on her on this new girl in our neighborhood but it wasn't true at all. Julia had always been paranoid but apparently she had proof that I was cheating on her. We were yelling at each other and she stormed away on her bike and was struck by a drunk driver in the night."

"Oh my…" Clare gasped innocently.

"Then the girl that came between me and Julia, she started going after me," Eli continued. "She was manipulative and deceitful but she got me. She looked a lot like Julia, she made herself dress and look like her more, she transformed herself into Julia and I just missed her too much and I…I fell for it. Then she got me into pills."

Clare narrowed her eyes but didn't move away. Eli was terrified of scaring her away but Clare seemed to be taking it all in. Either she was good at hiding her true reactions or she was actually taking it all in. It may have been a mixture of both.

"It went on for months and months until I…"

Clare put her hand on Eli's arm comfortingly and looked him straight in the eye. "What did you do?"

"I attacked my best friend."

Clare put her hands over her mouth and stepped back from him. But she stayed. She stayed there. She wasn't running yet. "How did you attack him? Or her?"

"Adam," Eli clarified. "His name is Adam. And he, next to my parents, is the most important person in my life. I was so drugged up and he found me, alone in my house, and I got into doing pot too so that mixture of being medically drugged and high in the mind…you lose sight of yourself. Adam told me his side of the story because when I woke up eventually after, I didn't remember anything. He said he was yelling at me about Imogen, how she changed me completely, how I wouldn't have done any of this if Julia were here. I got angry and I punched him and I kicked him and I beat the shit out of him. But that wasn't all. That wasn't the truth. Adam was trying to protect me but I eventually remembered."

"What else could you have done?" Clare whispered, still in shock and still keeping distance.

"I brought a knife out on him," Eli confessed. "Imogen had given it to me, said I could use it whenever I needed it. It happened to be in my pocket and I put it against Adam's throat. He cried and pleaded and I had a crazed look in my eye. I think I would've done it if I hadn't passed out from an overdose."

Clare's breathing became erratic and she turned her head, walking out of the house. Eli ran after her and watched as Clare's footsteps made indents in the sand.

"What else happened?" Clare demanded. There was a full twenty feet away from them and over the loud waves, Clare was asking Eli to tell her the rest.

"I woke up in the hospital, Adam had told my parents what happened and I believed him like I said. I couldn't remember anything until a few months ago."

"And the girl?" Clare crossed her arms over her chest.

"I cut her out of my life for good," Eli answered. "Haven't talked to her since my overdose and she keeps trying to contact me but I don't answer. It was hard, getting over what I did to myself, but imagining my mom going through what she already did, thinking that I could've died, it was enough for me to stop. And I got some therapy. My therapist was shit but I think it helped."

"So what made you come here?"

There was wind now, strong wind that was pushing their clothes and hair in different directions. The sun was gone, now covered with thick clouds, and a storm seemed to be brewing through their entire discussion.

"Imogen…she was following me, stalking me, trying to get back with me, and I just…left."

Eli was hoping Clare wouldn't pry for more information but that just wouldn't be Clare would it?

"There's more you're not telling me," Clare stated.

Shit. "I started seeing her again a few months before I left," Eli admitted with difficulty. He didn't know what was causing him to be so honest. Maybe it was Clare's pleading look. He wanted to do anything for her and it had to start with the truth. "And no one knew. I just…"

"You loved her, didn't you?"

"No!" Eli yelled. The wind was really getting treacherous. "No, I didn't. I don't."

"Then why go back to her?" Clare asked. Little droplets of rain began dropping on their heads.

A storm was definitely coming.

"Because she was throwing herself at me…and I'm a guy!"

Thunder erupted in the sky and Eli watched Clare looking around, her facial expression now showing fear. She wrapped her arms around her body and she was trembling. So now the extra storm precaution was more than just to protect the house. Clare was afraid of storms.

"That's not it, is it?" Clare yelled.

When Eli said nothing, the rain poured harder as Clare approached him. Once she got to him, she was practically soaked already. "What else is there?" Clare demanded. "I told you the truth so you have to tell me the truth!"

"She was pregnant!"

Through the hazy rain, Eli saw Clare's eyes widen like never before.

"She got an abortion without telling me," Eli said. "I yelled at her, I called her so many things, and she was unapologetic. So I ran."

Suddenly a giant flash of lightning erupted too close to them, and the terrifying sound was enough to make both of them fall. Clare was in Eli's arms, clutching him in fear. They looked at each other briefly before making the run to the house. Eli was heading inside until he saw Clare taking the shutter protectors and started closing up the windows.

"Now? I think it's a little too late for that!"

Clare shot him a dirty look and only continued. Eli groaned and grabbed several of them and headed upstairs to board the windows in the upstairs balcony, which thankfully wrapped around the house so he'd be able to get as many windows as possible.

As he stood on the balcony, he looked at the storm getting worse. The direction of the rain was still soaking him, even if he was under cover. He attached the closers, sometimes with difficulty as he couldn't see. But finally he was finished and he made his way downstairs to find Clare. But she was nowhere on the bottom floor and he couldn't see her through any windows. The back door was swaying back and forth and he suddenly got a bad feelings.

"Clare!"

He ran out of the house and looked at every direction, trying to spot Clare's light hair, but the rain was making that impossible. He walked around the wrap around patio and approached the front of the house. He found his iTouch sitting on the railing, wet and probably won't work ever again and he'd lost his music collection but he didn't care.

Where was she?

He kept calling her name, looking around, pacing and waiting. Lightning and thunder seemed unrelenting and he knew Clare must be scared.

Finally he saw a figure coming in from the beach, and he ran to her and pulled her into the house.

"What were you thinking? I was freaking out here! How could you do—"

Clare grabbed his face and kissed him, passionately from the start, and backed him up against a wall and he heard something break.

She was pressed up against him hard and Eli kissed back earnestly, pulling her closer by the waist. Clare pulled away but their faces were only centimeters apart.

"You're still willing to take a risk with me…" Clare stated breathlessly. "Even if she hurt you."

"Clare, I was willing to take a risk with you the moment I saw you."

It was cliché, it was sappy and corny, but Eli couldn't help it. It was only the truth.

This time, Eli leaned down to kiss Clare but kissed her slowly. It was their slowest kiss but had the most meaning. Eli had told her everything, why he ran away, why he was damaged. She was the first to know _everything_. And just knowing her a little over a week, it seemed ridiculous that he'd open up to her so quickly.

But Clare was different. She understood. Because she was damaged as well.

Lightning struck and Clare pulled away from the kiss, scared and surprised. Even in the gray setting caused by the storm, Eli saw her cheeks blush.

"I don't like storms," Clare confessed, running her thumb over Eli's cheek.

The house started to rattle and the rain hitting the windows was creating an even more loud and harsh sound. Eli took Clare's hand and they walked through the house. As they made their way closer to the stairs, a large crash made them freeze.

Eli looked at Clare, pretty much telling her to stay, and he walked toward the living room and saw that wood had flown in through a window, shattering the glass and breaking the closer. The rain was coming in through the window and the sound of the storm was increased.

"Is there a basement here?" Eli asked once he came back to her.

Clare nodded and she took Eli to the door. He didn't hesitate to go downstairs and bring Clare with him. It was their safest place to be in through this large storm.

It was the usual basement, holding all of the equipment which made the house run, but as Eli inspected it, he saw water leaking through a corner. It was only drips of water but any was hazardous around all of the main machines.

Eli heard another crash upstairs and looked to Clare, now sitting in a fetal position on a raggedy old couch. He sat in front of her and took her hand and beckoned for her to come into his arms. She smiled weakly and did so, putting herself in his lap sideways and resting her head on his shoulder.

He felt her body becoming less tense and felt Clare's shallow breathing, signaling she had fallen asleep. He kissed the top of her head and pulled her in closer.

"It scares me how fast I fell for you."

Eli knew she didn't hear it but in his heart, he knew that she knew.


	6. The Day After

**I think this chapter will be good if you're a little heartbroken over the TV show Eclare. :) First week of Degrassi Season 11 was awesome! Go follow me on twitter (hereinyourarms_) of you'd like to express your feelings about it with me! Or on tumblr too (-here-in-your-arms)!**

**Please enjoy and thank you for watching! Please review!**

**Chapter Six – The Day After**

_Well…this is familiar_.

Eli was on a couch once again, Clare in his arms sleeping, but this time it was different. Their holds on each other were tighter, they were keeping each other safe, this was very much different.

It seemed like a movie, yesterday. A dramatic confession, a big storm, the passionate kissing, and going into the basement to keep safe. It seemed like it would've made perfect scenes for a movie but it actually happened.

Eli thought that it would feel extremely weird having confessed about what actually happened to him but it was like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. Someone finally knew, someone who couldn't judge him. Clare was a blank slate, she wasn't affected by the rumors about him or have heard what happened. She listened to him and understood him and for some reason, still liked him afterwards.

Clare was still a mystery to him though. Sure he knew that her mother had a rough time after her divorce and eventually left on her own but that wasn't actually about Clare herself. It was just part of her past. She lives in the states also, in Chicago, with her Dad who's a doctor and she's only here for the summer.

"_I don't get to know people because once I do, they're gone."_

They would have to part ways eventually and he finally got Clare's fear. He wanted to get to know her and be around her, maybe even be _with_ her but eventually he'd have to go back to Toronto, her to Chicago, and that would be tough for both of them. Eli could see their obvious connection and attraction and there was no way he could actually spend the rest of the summer here without getting to know her more. It would be impossible, especially now that they've both spilled big things about themselves.

Clare stirred in her sleep but only hugged Eli closed to himself. He smiled and kissed her forehead softly, his thumb running over her cheek. He didn't mean to wake her up but when she opened her eyes, he was happy to see her beautiful blue eyes looking up at him.

"What time is it?" Clare asked groggily but just settled but into his arms.

"I don't know, I can't actually get up because there's this girl who won't let go," Eli teased but just kissed her lips with a smile.

"Well in that case I don't care what the time is," Clare joked back.

"As much as I love this and I think we should do this a lot, preferably every night, but I think we might have to check out if there's any further damage and clean up."

Clare finally let go of Eli was laughing. "Never pegged you to be the responsible type."

"Well one of us has to be," Eli replied and pulled Clare up from the couch. They made their way upstairs and walked into the living room. Eli's foot stepped on glass already and he stopped in his tracks, Clare crashing into him from behind.

"Broken glass," Eli pointed out. Thankfully they were both wearing their shoes. They both looked at the damage from last night and were relieved to see that the damage didn't progress further than the crash they witnessed. But when they both walked into the kitchen, it was definitely worse than they imagined.

The small chandelier in table area of the kitchen had fallen, the plates and random decorations on the open shelves of the kitchen were broken and on the floor. It was a really big mess.

Eli turned to Clare who was in shock. He leaned down to kiss her and he felt her relax a bit, kissing back softly. "If you want you can go shower or something, I'll start cleaning up," Eli offered between kisses but Clare shook her head.

"I think we should just get started now," she sighed. She brought out some trash bags and handed one to Eli and also brought out rubber gloves.

"Gloves?" Eli questioned.

"Less likely to get cuts on your hand," Clare said and threw one to him. They proceeded to pick up the larger pieces of the broken things of the kitchen and whenever Clare got to a specific piece, Eli saw her stare at it a bit and force herself to throw it away.

"Are some of these things memories?" Eli asked while pausing his work.

"Yeah," Clare replied. "My mom and I used to paint plates together. These are just a few but…it's still hard to see them broken."

"Maybe we could fix some?"

"Let's just…drop it, okay?" Clare started picking up anything and everything and threw it in her trash bag angrily. Eli watched Clare, just in a huff and throwing everything out, that eventually he heard her squeal in pain.

He saw blood over the glove and realized there was a cut in the glove and probably also in her skin. He grabbed the nearest towel she could find and took off her glove and pressed the towel onto the deep cut. Clare groaned in pain but Eli knew that that was how to take care of that type of wound.

"Is there a first aid kit somewhere around here? Maybe a hospital I could take you because I'm thinking this could need stitches," Eli said regretfully. "I mean, if you have a needle and some thread I could do it but I don't think you'd want me doing this."

Clare rolled her eyes but cracked a smile. "Hospital's two miles away."

"Well let's go then."

* * *

><p>Clare was taking a long time in the emergency room, mostly because the big storm had created a lot of injuries for other people. Eli waited in the waiting room, his leg bouncing up and down waiting. There were families around him all waiting as well and he felt like he was the only one who was there alone.<p>

Finally Clare walked into the waiting room and Eli quickly got up and wrapped his arms around her. "You okay?" he asked, looking down at her bandaged hand.

"Yeah, the doctor said I'll have to come back in a week to check how it is and maybe I'll have the stitches removed then," Clare said. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," Eli breathed. He kept his arm around her waist and led her to the car. Once on the road again, he heard Clare laugh beside him softly. He didn't think he was meant to hear it but he did.

"What's so funny?" he inquired.

Clare waved her non-injured hand and said, "It's nothing."

"No, I wanna know," Eli said, keeping his eyes on the road.

He heard Clare sigh. "It's just that…I haven't had someone take care of me in a long time."

"But your Dad—"

"Is a doctor," Clare cut him off. "Meaning he spends most of his time at the hospital. If anything I take care of him. I make sure there's food for whenever he comes home or I bring him food at the hospital during his long shifts. He hasn't really been a hands on parent since the divorce."

"Oh."

"Yeah…"

"I'm glad I get to be the one who's taking care of you," Eli said sincerely. "It's nice to have someone to take care of for once." He reached out for her left hand and held it in his own.

Once they got to the house, Eli sent Clare upstairs to rest while he went to clean up the rest of the kitchen.

After a few hours, Eli finally had the kitchen cleaned up and heated up some leftovers. He brought it up to Clare's room and found her still sleeping on her bed. He put aside the food and looked out Clare's window and saw that the beach was cluttered with debris and wood. There were even some tree branches that must've been blown pretty far. It looked like a big mess outside.

"Hey."

Eli turned around and saw Clare still laying down but with her eyes slightly open. "How long have you been waiting?"

"I finished cleaning the kitchen but I was only here a few minutes," Eli answered and sat down on the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Still tired," Clare yawned. "But I should help clean up. It _is_ my responsibility."

"I'm not gonna let you hurt yourself even more. Feel free to watch but I've got it," Eli assured her. He leaned over her body to grab the plate on her bedside table. "You haven't eaten all day so here."

"Did you cook?" Clare asked as she sat up.

"No," Eli scoffed. "Leftovers."

Clare put aside the plate and swiftly grabbed Eli's head and brought him to kiss her. Eli felt himself getting pulled over her and soon Clare was laying on the bed with him hovering over her, their lips firmly attached.

"You know," Eli muttered between kisses. "You're…grabbing…my face…pretty hard…your hand…"

"Well…how do I…know you…won't run away from me," Clare gasped out. She had both hands around his ears, wrapping around to his hair, and Eli could feel her bandaged right hand.

"I won't," Eli promised. "And this is very enjoyable but you need to eat and I need to clean up the living room."

Clare finally took her grip off Eli's head but Eli stayed hovering over her. "Why are you so good to me?" Clare whispered.

Eli smirked. "Because I need a place to stay."

He earned a smack on his shoulder but he leaned down for a peck on the lips. "Just kidding. It's because you deserve someone taking care of you and I like having someone to take care of. Good?"

"Good."

Eli finally got off the bed and handed the plate to Clare. "You better be finished before you come downstairs."

"Yes sir," Clare said sarcastically, saluting to him. Eli rolled his eyes and left the room and proceeded to clean up the broken glass and wood in the living room. He made sure to clean up underneath the couches and between its cushions just in case.

Once he cleaned up, he looked at the broken window on the wall. He didn't know how to replace windows but he figured it'd be another good distraction if he tried to figure it out. He made a list in his head on what he'd have to do. Get some basis for instructions online, go to a hardwood store…

Eli heard footsteps and saw Clare coming downstairs with plate in hand. "Happy?" Clare asked while showing him the empty plate.

"Yes," Eli smiled. "I'm gonna have to fix this window."

"Do you know how?"

"No," Eli admitted. "But I'll figure it out."

"You don't have to, we could just cover it for now—"

"Clare."

"Eli."

"Shut up. I'm fixing it."

"Fine, fine. You're stubborn."

Eli was now standing in front of Clare and he raised his brows. "Get used to it." He kissed her chastely and started to make his way into kitchen after taking her plate.

"So how do you actually plan on fixing the window?" Clare asked while following him.

"I'll figure it out," Eli said. "Might be tough but I've got all summer."

Clare looked at him sincerely and Eli got the vibe that she really liked the fact that he would be there for a long while. Then she laughed and stepped closer to him. "I sure hope it won't take you two months to fix a window."

"No promises," Eli joked.

It seemed that their kissing would happen whenever they laid eyes on each other but Eli didn't mind and he was sure Clare wasn't minding it either. He pushed her against the kitchen cabinets and had one hand on the counter beside her waist and had his body firmly against hers.

While kissing Clare, he realized he knew nothing about her past relationships and how she felt about romantic relationships. Had she had a boyfriend before? Probably, she's intelligent and beautiful, who wouldn't like her? But he had told her about his past with relationships, wasn't it only fair?

"Tell me something," Eli muttered against her lips.

Clare was breathing deeply and Eli liked that she always had a red face whenever they kissed. "Anything," she breathed and leaned up for another kiss.

Eli got caught up in their heated kiss that he'd forgotten to ask the question. But after a few minutes, he finally broke off the kiss and asked, "Tell me about your past boyfriends."

He was afraid of having pried or making her uncomfortable but he was glad to see Clare smiling. "Why? Jealous?"

"Well I'm jealous of any guy that has gotten to kiss you so?"

"I only had two," Clare told him and Eli was intrigued already. "My first boyfriend was this jock type, really sweet though at first, and kind of with a troubled past. Group home, non-reliable parents, all that. Then when this new girl came, he started flirting with her and eventually he broke up with me for her and now they have a child together."

Eli's eyes widened. "Wow, did not see that ending coming."

"Me neither," Clare admitted laughing. "And yet, it did. Their child is really cute though. His name is Tyson."

"First thought, chicken brand," Eli replied and Clare smacked his shoulder. "What? That was the first thing I thought!"

"Ty is adorable, don't make fun," Clare pouted.

Eli kissed the pout away. "Okay, okay. But you better show me a picture."

"Good thing I brought one of my picture albums," Clare replied with a grin. "You'll see a lot with my exes though, maybe we'll just skip those."

"No, I'd like to see my competition," Eli teased. "So you said you had two, who's the other one?"

Clare's face slightly dropped but she went on to talk about him anyways. "His name was Jake. Childhood best friend that actually went to school with me here before I moved to Chicago and for some reason, he and his dad relocated to Chicago two years after I did. We started going out pretty soon after he came and we broke up a month before I came here."

"Oh," Eli said. "Why did you break up?"

"We were just…always going to be just good friends," Clare sighed. She looked up at him and he smiled slightly, showing that he understood. "But he was definitely good looking, like, unbelievably good—"

Eli cut her off with a hot kiss, trying to show her that he did not want her talking about other guys like that even though they weren't official or anything. He started kissing down her jaw and eventually to her ear and as he breathed heavily he said, "No more of that."

"Okay," Clare said but almost moaned. Eli smiled against her skin and looked eye-level to her. "You think you're so good."

"I know I am," Eli said confidently. Then he remembered… "Oh, I don't think I finished putting the converter in your car. I should see now."

"I was thinking I'd finish the cookies but since I'm sure it's spoiled by now, I'll make a new batch?"

"Perfect," Eli replied happily. "I'll be outside if you need me."

"_I'll_ be here if you need _me_," Clare told him and they kissed before Eli went outside to Clare's truck.

He popped the hood and peaked inside, making sure he had put the catalytic converter in correctly. While inspecting, his head deep in the car, a voice said,

"Hi, is this inn open?"

"Yes, it is," Eli answered without looking up.

"Thank you."

Eli continued to work and eventually he made sure the engine was running smooth by starting it and driving it around for a bit. Once he pulled back up to the house, he was wiping his hands on a towel when he walked into the house.

There were voices in the kitchen and Eli walked in. Surprised couldn't even begin to cover what he felt.

"Eli," Clare stood up from her stool. "This is…"

"What are you doing here?" Eli asked bitterly.

"I could ask you the same thing," they replied.

"You two…know each other?" Clare uncomfortably said, looking between the two.

Neither of them spoke.

"Eli, I don't know how you know Marlena but remember the friend that helped out my mom? That was Marlena," Clare said and Eli had to remind himself to breathe.

"So that's why you left?" Eli accused her angrily. "You left her, she couldn't trust me because of you, you broke her."

"Eli!" Clare scolded. "What are you talking about?"

"Marlena is Julia's mom, Clare. She left Julia with no explanation at all."


	7. No One Will Know

**Yeah…this chapters a bit…not happy. But it will be happier eventually. :) Thanks for all the reviews! You guys are absolutely amazing!**

**Please review! Thanks for reading!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seven – No One Will Know<strong>

The tension was thick and Eli was fuming. He hadn't seen this woman in years, ever since she abandoned her daughter, and now here she was sitting in the kitchen with the girl who made him forget. It was uncanny. While he tried to escape his life, it just kept coming to haunt him.

Helen Edwards' friend that helped her after her divorce was Marlena Page. Marlena Page was Julia Page's mother. Julia Page was Eli's dead ex-girlfriend.

This circle of relations had to be the biggest mindfuck of all.

"I did leave with an explanation," Marlena spoke after a long silence. "I wasn't happy, I couldn't stay."

"I hope you know how much Julia suffered when you left," Eli spat, his hand pointing in anger. "That woman your ex husband married after you was the worst person I have ever witnessed in my life. Julia couldn't handle her, she stayed at my house most nights because she made her life miserable."

"That's not—"

"Were you at the funeral?"

Eli still remembered that day when they had a funeral for Julia. It was closed casket, her body was not even close to being seen properly from her accident, and all of her relatives and friends came. But the one person Eli knew that Julia would've wanted to have there was her mother. He waited and waited to see an appearance by her but it never happened.

Eli even waited at the church steps after the entire thing and nothing.

"I visit her grave as often as I can."

Marlena's words made Eli scoff. "So why did you leave exactly? Was it because of Clare's mom? Really?"

"Yes," Marlena sighed. "She is my oldest friend and she really needed me. Plus I was separated from Julia's father anyways and I thought that it would be the best. I didn't know what would happen after I left."

"She couldn't trust me," Eli's voice was breaking and he was on the verge of tears. "You left when you promised her you would always be there for her and then you left her and she never trusted me."

"_You're cheating on me!"_

"_Julia, stop, you're being unreasonable."_

"_Am I?" Julia took the closest thing at reach, a shoe, and chucked it at Eli who narrowly dodged it. "I saw pictures! You two were together!"_

"_When?" Eli shouted. He was trying not to be angry, since Julia always had angry bursts like this, but this was the angriest she's ever gotten. "I'm with you all of the time!"_

"_Stop lying to me!" She was throwing a giant tantrum now, knocking over everything in sight in her bedroom, and Eli just tried to dodge everything that kept coming his way. "I thought you loved me!"_

"_I do!" How could she question his love for her? He'd loved her ever since the first time they met, when they were both eight years old. "I've barely even spoken to her, how could you think I've been seeing her behind your back?"_

"_Look at her! She's fucking gorgeous, that's why! When she first moved here you were the first to notice her and she definitely noticed you."_

_Eli rolled his eyes and said, "Technically Adam was the first to recognize her."_

"_It's not funny!" A pillow came at Eli's head and he was happy it was soft because he didn't see it coming._

"_I'm telling you the truth Jules. I have never even spent time with her, the only time I talked to her was at school when she wanted my notes."_

"_So you've talked to her?"_

"_For. School." Eli was getting angry now. Why couldn't she just trust him? Why couldn't she believe him?_

"_Did you help her study too? Bet you had a lot of _study sessions_ at her house!"_

_As Julia was throwing things from her dresser onto the floor, Eli grabbed her and turned her around and pressed her to the dresser to stop her from moving. "How many times do I have to tell you that I did not cheat on you? Why the _fuck_ won't you believe me? Why the hell are you so damn insecure? I'm with you all the damn time, even when I don't want to be, so it's not like you've left me enough space to do anything and even if you did leave me alone for a second, I would still want to spend it with you so get it through your mind that I have not nor will I ever cheat on you."_

_He didn't want it to sound harsh or mean but the look on Julia's face…he knew he broke her. She was on the verge of tears and he went to give her a hug but he was harshly pushed away and she ran out of the room._

_Eli took around the surroundings, everything that usually had its place was now on the floor, and then he heard the front door slamming. He ran both hands through his hair and sighed, closing his eyes, and tried to relax. They did fight often, since they spent every second together and the proximity was challenging, but it was never this bad. She had never stormed out before or trashed her room before._

_Pictures? What pictures? What made her think that he was cheating on her with Imogen, a girl he barely knew? All he knew about her was that she dressed…eccentric and definitely wasn't one to conform. That was it. Imogen seemed rather flirty though, since that first day she moved into their neighborhood, but Eli didn't really care. He had Julia, he had happiness and didn't think about some strange girl._

"I didn't even think about another girl when I was with Julia and yet, when I kept trying to tell her the truth, she couldn't trust me. You know when that started? When you left!"

"Don't make me bring up your problems," Marlena threatened angrily. They were both standing up now, facing off in the kitchen. "Like when you were thirteen and you—"

"Don't," Eli angrily said but also scared. His voice much less loud now. "Don't you dare."

"Oh how your parents were ready to send you—"

"Stop!"

"Julia was so worried for you, she—"

Eli slammed his fists down on the counter, the sound roaring and echoing, and he shouted, "STOP!"

"_How long has this been going on?"_

"_Get away from me!"_

"_Elijah! Get back here!"_

"_Fuck off!"_

"_Our _son_ would have never talked this way! The drugs are killing you!"_

"_They're only helping!"_

The memories of having Cece and Bullfrog catch his deepest secret at thirteen was making Eli's heart and mind race. He stormed out of the kitchen and grabbed his keys, which were located at the reception area, and he started out the door until he felt an arm grab him back.

"What are you doing?" Clare demanded to know. "Come on, stay please, you're angry and—"

"I can't stay here if she is," Eli growled, his face too close to Clare's. "That woman changed everything for me and I can't see her without wanting to tear her head off."

"Then where are you going?" Clare asked timidly. Eli saw the familiar look on Julia's face when he yelled at her. Clare was scared of him but she wasn't running away.

_Oh God. I'm just going to hurt her._

"Don't worry about it," Eli went to his car and drove off, keeping his eyes away from Clare as she stood by the inn, arms crossed over her chest.

_You'll only hurt her. You'll drive her away. You'll terrify her._

Eli tried to get rid of that voice in his mind but he knew it had to be true. He didn't even know Clare that well and yet there he was, intimidating and scaring her just by his past. How could she handle his entire past when she had her own difficult one? What he told her was only the most recent things. He was a bad kid, he did too much, he knew too much, then getting with Julia made him better. But his true nature was always there, his anger management never worked, and he was too much. He knew that and he wanted to change, but he never could.

"_Where did you get them Elijah? You're only thirteen."_

"_School."_

"_Who in school?"_

"_I don't know."_

"_Like hell you don't."_

"_I __**don't**_._"_

"_I thought we raised you better than this. Drugs? Did you really think that they were a good idea?"_

"_They helped."_

"_You got into a car crash while a guy in his twenties was driving and he didn't look any better than you. They certainly did help."_

"_You know nothing about me."_

"_That's right. We don't. Not anymore."_

Eli ended up driving until he found a sketchy looking bar off the highway, hours later as it was already dark. He decided to walk in anyways and with his fake ID he was able to get some alcohol in his system. He sat alone at the bar, staring at his cold glass of whatever it was he was drinking, and his mind was so foggy he couldn't even think.

_Good. Better that way._

It was late and there weren't that many people there. Eli cancelled out the chatter around him and closed his eyes, wanting to forget his past permanently and start fresh.

But his past will always be there haunting him.

Eli was on his third drink when he heard an arguing couple at the end of the bar and their voices were higher in volume in his own mind so he stepped outside in the humid air and took in the breeze, trying to calm his mind. He was barely thinking but now everything around him was magnified.

"They're always fighting."

Eli jumped at the voice and saw some girl, a server from the bar, an unlit cigarette in her mouth. "They come in once a week maybe and whenever they're here, they fight. Fucking annoying."

"Yeah," he replied. "Do you have another?" He pointed at the cigarette and the girl smirked.

She took another out and kept both between her lips and lit them both. She took one out from between her lips and handed it to him and he breathed in, feeling his body relax instantly. That move she made with the cigarettes was weird, Eli thought, he felt like she had inadvertently kissed him.

"What's your name?" she asked him, blowing smoke into the humid air.

"Eli," he answered. He studied her voice a bit and figured she was probably in her early to mid twenties. She sounded mature.

"I'm Skye," she smirked at him.

_Raina. Skye. Does anyone have normal names anymore? _

"What brings you here?" Skye asked, turning her head to blow out the smoke.

"My past," Eli said, staring at his cigarette and wondering what the hell he was doing. Last time he smoked was a while ago and he promised himself he wouldn't anymore.

"Common answer," Skye replied. "Family? A girl?"

"Both."

"I could take your mind off of it, you know." She reached out and touched the side of his face with her finger and Eli shivered. "You're really cute, I'd love to help."

Skye was pulling his head towards her but he jerked back, dropped his cigarette, and crushed it with his shoe. "I…I have to…" he stuttered terribly and went back into the bar and found the bathroom. He splashed water on his face, trying to make the spinning in his mind stop so he'd be awake enough to drive back, but it wasn't working.

He looked at himself in the mirror, baggy eyes and drunk expression. He was a mess. His hands gripped the sink tightly and he held his head down, eyes closed, and just wanted to take back this stupid mistake of drowning his sorrows in alcohol, because he felt like it would take forever for him to be sober enough to drive home.

_You had a lot of practice with drinking. Why is it that you're still a terrible drunk?_

His mind and body were so gone that he didn't feel someone approach him from behind, hands touching his stomach. Before he could even register what was going on, he was pushed to a wall and a tongue slithered into his mouth. He kissed back out of reflex, his hands touching their waist, and he smelled a mixture of perfume and alcohol.

"Wha—" he pulled out of the kiss but was only kissed again. He briefly saw the girl kissing him, the one from before, and he couldn't even remember her name. The kiss was aggressive and fast and he complied to it, feeling a little turned on.

But then he felt her unbuttoning his jeans and her hand slowly going down it and he pushed her back harshly. "No," he gasped out and fixed himself.

"I want to help," she said seductively, walking back to him.

He held out his arm. "No…no, I can't."

"No one will know," she whispered and pressed her body to his again.

But by this point, Eli was sober enough now. "I have to go." He ran out of the bathroom and quickly paid his tab, and bolted to his car. The bartender was shouting at him, Eli wasn't sure if he was angry or concerned, but he drove away.

He drove as slowly as he could, keeping his eyes on the road and trying to be aware of his surroundings. It took him two hours to get back to the inn and by that time, it was already 2 in the morning.

When he walked inside, everything was dark. Except for one lamp in the living room. He found Clare sleeping on a lounge chair, a book over her stomach. She'd fallen asleep waiting for him to get home and Eli immediately felt bad. He knelt down beside the chair and gently shook her awake.

She stirred awake and looked at him, first smiling and then frowning. "You smell terrible."

"I know," Eli held his head in shame. "I…"

"You got drunk," Clare finished for him. "Nice to see how you deal with problems."

"Clare, that's not—"

Clare got up from the couch and started leaving the living room. "Marlena's in one of the rooms. Try not to be too loud."

"Clare, please."

"Not tonight Eli." She stormed upstairs and Eli didn't have any energy to walk to the stairs, much less walk up it, so he made himself as comfortable as he could on the couch and fell asleep there.


	8. Risks

**Sorry for the long wait. Hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading! Story could be ending in a few chapters!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eight - Risks<strong>

Eli woke up to the sounds of pots and pans clanking and as he tried to get up, he realized that his body and his mind were tired. He got a headache quickly and plopped back down on the couch clutching his head. The memories of the night flashed in his mind in little snippets.

_Yelling at Marlena._

_Scaring Clare._

_Driving away._

_Getting drunk._

_And that girl._

"Shit," he groaned quietly, putting his hands on his face, remembering how angry Clare was when he came back. He tried to listen to any voices that could be coming from the kitchen but his head continued to pound and he couldn't focus on anything else.

Eli trudged his way to the first floor bathroom, thankfully located just around the corner, and he sat beside the toilet ready to vomit his terrible evening. After a few minutes and a few upchucks, he saw Clare standing at the doorway.

A towel was thrown at his lap. "Don't make a mess." Then Clare stormed off.

Eli spent the next fifteen minutes trying to make sure that he wouldn't get sick later on and he washed his mouth and face, dried off using the towel Clare threw at him, and trudged his way into the kitchen were Clare was cooking and Marlena was sitting at a stool.

The food Clare was cooking was making Eli nauseous, not because it was terrible, but the smell was so strong.

"If you throw up in here, I will never forgive you," Clare muttered to him as she stood at the stove.

"Noted," Eli groaned and grabbed himself some orange juice. He sat down on the opposite end of the island from Marlena who was drinking coffee and didn't look at her, only drinking his orange juice. A plate was then plopped down in front of him, a plate of pancakes, eggs, and bacon, and his stomach growled.

"Thank God," he said before diving in rather quickly and monstrously. He didn't realize how hungry he really was until then and he had finished his plate in less than five minutes.

"That was gross," Marlena commented as she laughed. "I'm sorry but I have never seen someone eat their food that…fast."

"Just getting started," Eli joked half-way and he saw Clare smirking to herself as she took his plate wordlessly and started to put more food on it. "You really don't have to do that Clare. I could get it myself."

"Yeah well even if you piss me off you're still a guest," she replied, the smile fading from her lips. Eli held his head down and ate the food, not saying another word hoping he wouldn't make Clare more mad. The kitchen was silent other than the cooking food and Eli's utensils clanking against his plate.

"Eli," Marlena said quietly. He looked up slowly. "I'm leaving today so…you don't have to worry."

Eli just went back to his food. "I know what I did to Julia was wrong," Marlena continued. "I didn't think what I did would have that big of an effect on her and I'm sorry. I know it must not have been easy to deal with—"

"Do you really know?" Eli cut her off. "Every, day, I listened to her cry herself to sleep."

He tried to calm himself down when Clare shot him a look and he gripped the countertop. "Can we…talk about this elsewhere?"

Marlena nodded and she and Eli went onto the porch. Eli stood near the stairs and Marlena sat down on a chair. "Helen was in bad shape," Marlena began. "After her own divorce, there wasn't one night when she didn't call me in tears. She kept saying 'He took Clare away' and that's what upset her the most. She…admitted that she wanted to kill herself at one point and I knew I couldn't leave her alone."

Eli gulped but kept his serious composure.

"You know that Julia's father and I never had a good relationship and I knew that _I_ was the problem, not Julia. I didn't want her to see what could've happened if I stayed."

"What could've happened?" he asked.

Marlena shrugged. "He could've become abusive towards me. I knew he couldn't hurt Julia that way but to me, it could've happened. One night it got so bad that he almost did hit me but he managed to calm himself. You know what we fought about? I left the porch light on."

Eli gripped the wooden railing. He knew the relationship Julia's parents had but he never saw her dad that intense before. Maybe Marlena was right. She had no choice but to leave.

"I left to keep her safe," she said. "I don't know if you'll understand this but…he was going to get violent if I stayed. And one night…Helen said she wanted to stay here at The Moonlight and run this place and get her life together and I said why the hell not? I joined her after I sent Julia's dad divorce papers. But Helen never got her life together. I was out one day and came back to find this place trashed, she was gone, no note. Been trying to find her ever since."

"So why are you back here?"

"Clare's dad Randall told me that Clare was here for the summer so I thought I'd check in," she said sincerely. "The place looks a lot better than how Helen left it. She did a great job."

"You knew Helen before the divorce happened right?" Marlena nodded. "So you knew Clare?"

Marlena smiled to herself. "I did. She was the most…polite, intelligent little girl. Randall and Helen were so proud of her. They stayed together for her and her sister Darcy but it just got bad, like my marriage. But unlike me, Helen went to the bad stuff to console herself. It was a terrible sight to see."

Eli looks away, now both hands on the railing.

"Clare doesn't know the things her mother has done, Eli," Marlena tells him. "All she knows is that her parents' marriage fell apart and that Helen got into alcohol and drugs but…Helen was like this all along. She just hid it from Clare and her sister and that's why it was so easy for Randall to gain custody of Clare. Helen wanted her but there was no way she could have her. She left around the time of Clare's 16th birthday and I was so afraid that she had gone on a plane to Clare but Randall told me Helen wasn't there and Clare was here. I don't know where she is and I thought Clare maybe knew something but it's clear that she doesn't."

Marlena walked up to Eli and put a hand on his shoulder. "You are not the only one who's been through a lot, Eli. Clare…although she doesn't show it, she's easily broken. And as for Julia, none of it was your fault. It was mine and I take full responsibility for her actions. But how she died, you can't wallow in that forever."

"I'm not," Eli admitted.

"Fine," she replied. "But…I see guilt in your eyes."

Eli turned his head and stared at Marlena. She was Julia's clone. It was painful for Eli to see Julia's dark hair and eyes again, the same facial expression, the same height, the same everything but a bit older, on Marlena. Seeing Julia again, it was just painful.

"When you threatened to bring up what I did at thirteen…" Eli trailed off. "I couldn't relive that."

"I'm sorry for that, Eli, I was just upset," Marlena said sincerely. "I wouldn't have said anything, I swear."

"I know," Eli said, knowing deep down in was true. "I just didn't want Clare to hear any of that. She knows about Julia and she knows some more but not that."

"What more?"

"The reason Julia was on the street when a car hit her, we had a big fight about me cheating."

"You didn't…"

"No, no," Eli clarified quickly. "I never did. Somehow she got that idea in her mind and when I tried telling her the truth, she couldn't trust me."

"Because I…"

Eli nodded. "The girl she thought I was cheating on her with, she kind of…made herself Julia when Julia died and…I was so confused and hurt and I wanted Julia and I was manipulated into giving in. I gave into her and it began another downhill path for me."

"Who was she? Did I know her?"

"No, she and her family moved into the neighborhood after you left. Her name was…Imogen Moreno." Eli had trouble saying her name out loud again, knowing the things she'd put him through.

"Strange," Marlena commented. "The name, I mean, but also her character. You say she _transformed_ herself into Julia?"

"Yeah, cut her hair, died it, bought new clothes, all that," Eli gulped. "She already had some similar features but…she really did change herself. She knew how much I missed Julia and like I said, I fell into that trap. I started dating her and had real feelings for her eventually and one day she came in with drugs and alcohol and I tried so hard not to do it but—"

"Since you've already done it, it's easier to get roped back in," Marlena finished for him. Eli dropped his head and held onto the railing for dear life.

"_I-I can't," Eli stared at the small bag in Imogen's hand, already tempted._

"_Yes you can," Imogen smiled. "It's not hard."_

"_I know that," Eli replied venomously. "But…"_

"_Live a little," she whispered in his ear. "Just live."_

He felt a hand on his shoulder and he felt a little comforted. "So…I'm guessing things didn't work out well."

"I almost killed my best friend," Eli told her and Marlena gasped. "Remember Adam?"

"Lanky, freckles, ate a lot?"

Eli almost laughed. "Yeah, that's him. He was pissed about what I was doing, knowing my past, and we were yelling about Imogen and I snapped. Eventually I got into rehab again, cut Imogen out of my life but she came back."

"And?"

"Hooked up with her a few times, she got pregnant, had an abortion behind my back, and here I am."

"Eli—"

"I'm not looking for sympathy," he told her.

"I'm not giving you any," Marlena countered. "But you have to know that you are a good person for coming back from under the influence. You survived twice. People made mistakes but you changed yourself again. You are not a bad person."

"So why do I feel like Imogen getting rid of my child was just karma? Why do I feel like I don't deserve to be happy?"

"Because what has happened in your life was all hard to deal with that you've convinced yourself that you can't be. If anyone deserves to be happy, it's you. Julia would've wanted you to be happy and I know that it must have been terrible losing her and all of the things that happened with this Imogen girl, they don't define you."

"But that's all I can think about," Eli said intensely. "Except when…"

He turned his head towards the closed door of the inn and found himself wanting to smile. It was Clare who managed to change his focus. She was the first girl since Imogen to capture his attention and this time, she was genuine.

"Clare's a catch, isn't she?" Marlena smiled. Eli blushed and nodded his head. "She told me yesterday that she thought you were interesting."

Eli got nervous. "Interesting as in scary or as in intriguing?"

"Honestly both. But you can't blame her. You did have an outburst yesterday."

"Yeah, don't remind me."

"And she also said that running away from your problems doesn't solve anything."

He looked up. "Did she mean me or her mom?"

"Both."

Eli sighed deeply. "I guess it's true. Never really confronted Imogen."

"Has she tried to contact you?"

"Several times."

"You have to confront her if you want to feel better. I know that can't be said for Julia but this girl turned your life upside down. You have to tell her how you feel."

"Now?"

"Maybe not now but, soon."

Soon, Marlena was putting back her suitcase into her car and Eli watched on the porch as she and Clare said their goodbyes. When the car drove away, Clare stood watching it and Eli waited for her. Finally when she started walking back into the inn, Eli wanted her to look at him but she merely pushed past him and walked back inside.

Eli followed her and found her dumping things into a trashcan from the fridge.

"I…I kissed someone else last night," Eli confessed.

The only sound heard were things being dumped into the trash.

"I feel really bad about it," Eli continued. "But—"

"We're not together," Clare said shortly.

"I know," Eli said. "But I really do like you and—"

"And what?" Clare sighed, not looking away from the fridge. "You'll be leaving anyways and I'll be leaving to so what's the point?"

"The points is," Eli started and grabbed Clare from her position on the floor. "I _like_ you, Clare and I'm willing to take any risks of just being able to be with you. I am risking my heart and my mind once again but I like you so much and I can't stand the feeling of not even trying."

"Well maybe you can start with telling me what happened what happened when you were thirteen."

Eli sat her down on the couch, the one where they shared their first kiss, and told her the whole story. He had met a few people who were seniors in high school when he went to a party and they convinced him to try a "few new things." He did try them and quickly got addicted, not fully realizing the effects they'd have on his mind and body. It was a mixture of coke and other drugs, he sold a lot of his things to buy the drugs, and eventually Bullfrog and Cece found out.

"So, because of that addiction before, it was easier for you to get addicted again," Clare said, not looking at Eli at all.

"Exactly."

"You were thirteen, you-, I didn't even know about coke when I was thirteen," she said in disbelief.

"Lucky," Eli joked a bit. "I know I did a lot of bad things in my past and I got better from drugs twice and I'm proud of myself for that."

"Well I'm proud of you too but that doesn't really mean anything."

Eli took Clare's hands into his. "It means everything."

Clare finally looked at him and he was saddened at the fact that she had tears in her eyes. He wanted to wipe them away but he thought he might be pushing it if he'd gotten that close to her.

"Why are you crying?" he asked softly.

"I didn't realize how much you've actually gone through and here I am, thinking I have the right to be mad."

Eli brought Clare closer, allowing her to lean her head onto his chest, and he just held her close. "You do have the right to be mad. I was a total ass yesterday and I wasn't being rational. Just seeing Marlena brought all of the hurt back from losing Julia and I blew up. I'm sorry if I scared you and I'm sorry for running. I just do that really well."

They spent a few moments in silence until Clare piped up. "If we get together, we'll only end up hurting each other."

"What makes you say that?" Eli asked. He brought Clare to sit over his lap so he could look at her as she spoke.

"Like I've said before, you're gonna go back home, I'm going to Chicago, it's not going to work. And…I like you too much not to try but long distance rarely works out."

"Clare," he sighed, lifting her chin up. "I am willing to take all risks for you. We have all summer but we can have more than that."

"I want more than that," she admitted, lacing her fingers with his.

"Okay. So we'll take a risk," he said. "I really do like you Clare. I'm willing to do anything to make it work. I'll move to Chicago after I graduate high school if I have to."

"Whoa," Clare laughed. "We'll take this one step at a time."

"Okay," Eli leaned in slowly, asking for permission, and smiled against her lips when she leaned up the rest of the way. They rested their foreheads against each others, staying in the same position for a good amount of time.

After the long day, they each went to their separate rooms around midnight after a steam goodnight kiss in the hallway between their rooms. Eli had wanted to spend the night with her but Clare claimed to be punishing him for kissing someone else the night before. So pouting, he watched as Clare closed her door on him.

He sat in his bed, thinking about what Marlena had told him. _"You have to confront her if you want to feel better. I know that can't be said for Julia but this girl turned your life upside down. You have to tell her how you feel."_

Eli needed to get his anger and feelings out towards the girl who literally turned his life upside down. He could be kicking himself the next morning but he turned his phone back on. He pressed the call button with difficulty and held the phone to his ear.

"Imogen, we need to talk."


End file.
